You Never Know
by xUndeadAlchemistx
Summary: The world is slowly falling apart and all of those still left living are destroying each other. Laura can only do so much to keep herself safe and to continue on. Crossing paths with the Saviors is what saved her, but crossing paths with Negan may just be the worst and the best thing that could have happened. Negan/OC Lemon/Violence/Cussing/
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is officially my first fanfiction posted, so, review away and I hope you like it.

Gunshots could be heard throughout the clearing, panicked screams mingling with the sounds of flesh being ripped from bone. The woman who just happened to find herself caught in the middle of it ran, she ran as fast as she was able. Her long, auburn brown hair flew behind her in thick waves, her emerald eyes, which used to hold such life were now slightly dulled, but what else could you expect with how the world was now? It's been exactly two and a half years since the outbreak, the world was in ruin and the infected roamed around everywhere.

The amount of non-infected, well, that was near non-existent now. She looked around frantically for the people she traveled with but all she found were a few bodies here and there, some faces familiar, some not. She could hear the groans of the walkers a few feet from her and she looked over and saw one of the men she travelled with being torn apart. She raised her pistol and shot the man in the head; his screams being silenced and then she shot the two walkers that were on top of him in their heads, the bullet successfully putting them down.

She was stupid, she knew the shots would only cause more to come but she couldn't leave her friend to die so painfully. She ran as fast as she could, leaning down to grab at any backpack she saw, thankfully grabbing at a nice sized machete and another pistol for her small weapons collection.

She continued on her way, running until she was at the end of the field, the small car they rode in in her sights. She continued to run but right when she grabbed at the door she heard multiple gunshots, stopping her in her tracks at the large amount she heard overhead. The groans of the undead finally stopped and she turned to look behind her to see at least 20 dead ones laying in bloody heaps on the ground, the cool air outside because of the beginning of fall thankfully keeping the horrible smell of the rotting flesh down compared to what the heat would do.

From the woods walked out multiple men, all dressed in put together, relatively clean clothing. She looked down at herself for a moment, her tight, torn and bloodied up jeans clinging to her skin, the blood seeping through, and her ripped and frayed at the edges flannel slightly torn open to revel one of the only bras she had left, a black laced one, which also had blood stains on it.

She had a decent figure, although if one looked close enough it would be easy to see that she would look more appealing if she was able to keep the weight on her. Her full breasts heaved with her breathing, the curve of her backside pushed back against her car. She had a belt hanging loosely on her hips which held her other machete and her pistol, and strap on her left ankle that held a small dagger for emergencies. She gripped tightly to the two backpacks she was able to grab, her own hanging on her shoulders as she watched the men, and a few women, walk from the woods and began to slowly make their way in her direction.

What caught her attention though was the loud, sickening sound of a blunt object meeting a body part and it caused her to turn to her left and notice a man beating a walkers head in. As he stood, she noticed the leather jacket over a white t shirt he had on, the loose but form fitting black jeans he wore, a set of large black boots on his feet and as she looked closer, she noticed he had on a pair of leather gloves. He had black, greying short hair with facial hair to match, a few grey hairs mixed in with his short, well-kept beard.

"Well, what do we have here?! It looks to me like you, little missy, just got your ass saved by the saviors!" He chuckled, his voice full of his own ego. She jumped slightly at the sound of his booming voice and as he approached her, she noticed the others stopped a fair way away, apparently giving him the space to come to her on his own. His steps stopped, his shoes in her line of sight and she tilted her head to look up at him, having to look up quite a bit considering she was a mere 5'2 and this man seemed to be a tall 6'3. Meeting her eyes with his brown ones, he spoke out again, his voice still holding that powerful feel but not so loud now.

"Now, what are we supposed to do with you now? We had to use quite a bit of bullets to save your ass, gas to turn around when we noticed the screams of your fallen friends.. Huh." He stood there, his hand on his chin as if in thought. She looked down and noticed the bat in his hand was bloodied and wrapped with barbed wire, fascinated with the looks of it. She took a moment to understand his words, realizing quickly that he expected her to repay them in some way and she spoke up, her voice soft but not fearful in anyway of the man.

"I'd love to pay you back, sir, but I don't have much to offer... My camp was overrun and I just lost the rest of it to the walkers... I do thank you for helping me, but I don't know what I could do in return. "

He let out a loud, joyful laugh and reached forward to pat her head like one would a child. "Oh no darlin, no need to call me sir. The names Negan, and I'm the leader of these fine people here that just saved you. You may not have a lot to offer, but you have something..." His words stopped for a moment as his eyes trailed over the length of her small but curvy body, his eyes lingering on her bright green eyes, meeting them through her wild hair. He gave a nod of his head, seeing potential in the woman.

The woman squirmed a little under his gaze, her eyes hardening slightly as she reached up to move the hair from her face and she stared him back in the eyes, challenging him to even attempt something on her person. Her hand went to grip the hilt of her machete before he let out another chuckle and reached over to grip her wrist gently with his large hand. "Calm down darlin, I ain't gonna take advantage of you if that's what you're thinkin. Damn, that fire though, got me tempted!"

He removed his hand from around her wrist and shook his head, that same grin on his face. "Nooo, what I have in mind is you come back with me to our little community and we put you to work! Let's see where you fit in? We have ourselves a whole community that could always handle some new bodies to help with the work. Get you a nice place to rest that pretty head, some food in your belly."

She continued to stare up at him, surprised at his offer, not seeing any harm in it she nodded her head for a moment, still in slight shock from the days events. "Ahh, one more thing. What's your name? Gotta put a name with that face." He rose his hand and motioned over towards a few people and two men and a woman began to walk over.

"Laura.. " He nodded his head and turned to the ones who came over. He gave them a few instructions, low enough to where Laura was unable to hear but she paid them no mind. He turned back to her and gave her a smile while pointing to the man to his left. She looked over, taking in his features. He was a shorter man, coming to around 5'7 with long greasy black hair, which was thrown into a low pony tail. He had a cleanly shaven face with a strong jaw line and dark brown eyes, his skin a fair white in color. He was a little on the chubby side, a simple white long-sleeved t shirt and jeans on his body with a pair of tan hiking boots on his feet. "Johnny here is going to help you gather up your things and you'll ride with him and Sherry to the sanctuary. I'll see ya there." He raised his bat to rest it over his shoulder and walked off to the larger group of people, the other man who he called over following behind him.

She looked over and noticed the other woman, her long blonde hair thrown into a messy bun, her deep blue eyes holding warmth. Her nose and left eye brow were pierced, her skin a darker tan color, looking like she may have been mixed with something or other. She had her own curves, her large breasts straining against the black and grey flannel she wore, a black tank top underneath it. Her tight jeans were tucked into grey combat boots, an axe attached to her back and a simple shotgun in her hand. She gave the woman a soft smile and stuck her hand out for a handshake.

"Names Sherry, nice to meet you. Now, let's get a move on so Negan doesn't get pissed. He isn't a patient man." Laura stuck her hand out and shook her hand, thankful to encounter another nice face. The man with them stayed in the back, not really paying attention to them but was observing their surroundings for any sort of threat. Laura turned to her car and dug through the back grabbing another bag that had a few cans of food and water bottles and other various items. Dumping one of the other backpacks contents into it and stuffing the empty one in the pack. She reached in and grabbed a large, rolled up black and blue comfortable looking blanket, holding it to her hip and she nodded her head. "Alright.. That's everything I have." Sherry smiled and nodded her head and motioned for the man to go get the truck.

"This car have much gas in it?" She turned towards Laura as she spoke.

"No, it's right at E... We were basically running on fumes. We stopped to check out the farm house up that way but there was a hoard we didn't notice.. By the time I tried to warn everyone, it was too late " She sighed and looked down, no tears coming from her because she wasn't entirely close to the ones she lost but there was still sorrow in her green orbs. She jumped when she felt a pat to her shoulder and looked up to see Sherry's smile. "I know it's hard, but being at the sanctuary, it'll be a lot better. We rarely lose others and it's a lot more secure. There may be some... Odd rules and things that go on, but I can promise it'll be the best you've had in a long time. "

A:N Alright, first chapter down! It's gonna get good, trust me.


	2. Chapter 2

Laura looked up at the sound of a vehicle approaching, seeing a muddied up red truck, and when it came to a stop, Sherry walked over and hopped in the passenger side and motioned for her to get in the back. She crawled up into the backseat and sat there silently for the ride to the sanctuary, what little items she could call her own in her lap and beside her on the seat. Making small talk with the other woman since the man she met earlier was so quiet, she made sure to remember where they were going and keeping any sort of landmark in the back of her mind. She didn't even notice that she fell asleep until she was awoken by the sound of a door being shut and she jumped awake, looking around in slight confusion. Feeling like an idiot for falling asleep, especially going to a place she probably did not know, she brought her hand up to wipe at her eyes and hoped she didn't look as tired as she felt. Calming down after a moment she opened the door, grabbed her pack and the rest of her things and stepped out from the truck to stand beside the other woman, obviously feeling uncomfortable with being in a new place and not knowing where to go or who anyone was.

Her personality wasn't usually so timid and quiet, but she was just so tired and run down from the last few days, she just didn't have the energy to care. Sherry motioned for her to follow and she did. Looking over to notice the man named "Negan" go off in another direction with a few of the other people she remembered seeing out in the field, she went to continue following behind Sherry. They made their way inside of the large main building of the factory, her eyes roaming around curiously. It looked as if there were three floors to the large, slightly rusted and run-down building. Seeing the inside was cleaner and more put together than the outside of the building, she was surprised at how many people she saw roaming around or keeping themselves busy with things here and there. She figured it was sort of like a market place, items that have been scavenged all around them on large tables and shelves.

She could see some women and men sewing clothes at a few tables littered around a small area of the bottom floor and washing clothes in a large metal basin. Others could be seen sharpening knives, swords, axes, and the like. It looked as if everyone was busy with something. Making their way further into the building, there began to be less people and it got quieter and she could see a wide variety of beds and couches, some dressers and tables, and large sheets hanging up and separating everything into "rooms". Thinking back to what she has seen so far in this "Sanctuary", it was easy to see that the people were actually taken care of and it was a place that might just be ran properly, nothing compared to a few of the other camps or communities she's come across. They began to walk up the stairs to the second floor and came to what she guessed were storage rooms and offices and they walked to the right for a few moments before coming to a stop in front of a room at the end of the short hallway on the left wall and Sherry pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door and she kept in mind to remember the number 27.

Opening the door revealed a small but nice makeshift apartment room. There was a full-sized bed in a corner to the left of the room with a grey sheet and a simple black blanket thrown over it with two white pillows. The floor was tan tiles, like one would see in an office building of some sort. On the right side of the room there was a small grey couch which looked a little dated and had a tear or two but was still in relatively good condition. A white and black checkered rug was on the floor in front of the couch and a large bookshelf with some books and a few board games littered all over it against the wall closest to the door leading into the room. On the wall near the side of the couch was a large window that was loosely covered with a few black sheets, which she was thankful for because she knew there was a chance she would be able to sleep in sometime soon, if this place proved to be safe and she was able to earn her keep. A few feet from the couch was a tall lamp on the floor, that being the only light source besides the window on the wall.

There looked to be a small door in the back of the room and she walked in and went to a large metal basin which she guessed was to be used as a bathtub. She looked and saw some open bottles of shampoo and conditioner on the small countertop to the left of the door. A hair brush and a few rubber bands laying with it. Under the counter was two towels, wash cloths, and a few rolls of toilet paper. She looked around the tub and noticed a toilet as well. There looked to be a small, single burner set up in the corner of the room with a large pot. There was a hose to hook up to the sink and it looked as if you fill the pot, heat it up, and it gets poured into the tub to give actual warm bath water. Turning, she walked out and saw a small, slightly cracked mirror above the counter as well and cringed a little at the state she was in. With what she could see in that split second, it looked like she was an absolute mess.

Walking out to see Sherry speaking to someone outside the door, the other woman turned and walked back in with a pile of folded clothing in her hands. She laid them on the bed and pointed before speaking. "There's a few pairs of pants, shirts, a bra or two that should fit, panties, and some tank tops. Keep up with them, we do laundry twice a week. Someone will be by every Sunday and Wednesday to pick it all up for you."

Sherry turned and grabbed her keys from the side table on the bed and took off one and walked over and handed it to her. "This is your room key. Don't lose it, it's the only spare. Negan wants you to wash up, get some rest, and then he wants me to see what area would fit you best in the morning." She pointed to a long tan colored countertop on the side wall of the bed, a small sink there, microwave on the other end of the counter and some paper plates and the like on there as well. "There's food in the cabinets. Take what you'd like, but don't over eat." She smiled at her and looked at her closely. "It looks to me like you haven't had a decent meal in a while, don't want you getting sick. "

She turned and walked to the door and motioned towards a clock on her side table. "I'll be here in the morning at 8, so be ready." She turned and left, shutting the door behind her. Laura looked around for a moment, dropping the blanket she had on the bed and she took off her belt and laid the machete and her pistol on the counter top and dug through her bags and pulled out the other, shorter machete and the smaller pistol and laid them with the others. She pulled out the dagger on her ankle and laid it with them and dug through the bag and pulled out the few rounds she had left.

Walking over to the clothing on her bed, she grabbed a simple white t shirt and a pair of regular black panties and a pair of comfortable looking grey shorts with a black bra with light purple lace on the bottom of it. She walked to the bathroom, taking a few moments to figure everything out. Filling the large pot with water, she set it on the burner and while it was heating up, she filled the tub a little less than half way with the cold water. She poured the water in and stripped herself of her clothing and looked up and noticed her figure in the mirror and having a moment to study herself, she noticed just how skinny she'd gotten. Her ribs were slightly noticeable, some bruising and cuts littered her body from the fights and walkers she's had to take down these last few days of constant running and her eyes were slightly sunken in and had dark circles developing under them. Looking at herself and seeing the dried blood caked onto her skin and even she noticed her smell and blushed slightly at the fact others probably noticed it too. Walking over to grab the hair products and body wash, her eyes lit up at the sight of an actual razor, a brand new one at that.

She put the things down beside the tub and let some more water into the pot and put it on low to get it warm so she would be able to rinse her hair with clean water. Stepping into the tub, a soft groan of appreciation left her lips at the warmth that surrounded her. She sat there for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of the water surrounding her before she went to work scrubbing her body of the dirt and grime that was on her. Washing her hair quickly, she rinsed the soap out with the clean water she had to the side. She smiled, happiness dancing in her eyes at the ability to actually shave again. She finished up with her bath, rinsing off and stepping out and wrapped herself in one of the towels that were provided for her. Walking around the tub, she went to try and figure out how the water was supposed to be let out until she found a small hole with a plug near the bottom and another hole in the floor. Opening both, the water slowly came out, so she left it pouring out as she began to brush her long hair. Flat from the water, her hair reached just above her backside, the curls it bounced into when dry bringing it to her lower back, a few inches from its current position. She hung her towel up on a hook on the wall by the mirror and pulled on her panties and shorts, as well as the bra and shirt which all fit her surprisingly well.

She made her way out of the bathroom, the days events finally catching up to her so while combing her fingers through her damp hair, she made her way over to the counter to grab the small dagger she took off earlier and the glock she snagged off a cop a while back, walker, obviously, seeing as she didn't steal from the living. Turning around with a yawn, she walked over to the bed and slid the dagger under the mattress on the side near the small table and the glock went behind the little table on the floor against the wall, both weapons being easy to access if the need ever came. Reaching over to set the alarm for 7am, she let out a small yawn again and rolled over, falling asleep quickly.

While the newest member of the Sanctuary was settling down for bed, Negan and Sherry were currently sitting down in the room Negan usually spoke with anyone, very few people were allowed in his rooms. Even the ones who were, it was still rare because he was a man who enjoyed his privacy, to a certain extent. Negan having taken his seat at the head of the long table, a large window behind him, no curtains over it but with it being nighttime, the only light that spilled in the room was that of the full moon and few stars out. Two different lamps were set up behind him and by the door which filled the room with light and he stared down a few chairs to meet the other woman's eyes. "Now, I want you to keep a watch over our new girl. I've already seen the way some of those bastards have been eyeing her." He let out an amused laugh as he spoke his next words, leaning back comfortably in his large black leather computer chair, always enjoying the chances he got to pick on her. "Seen the way you have been too, Ms. Sherry.." The woman's eyes widened slightly, a soft blush coming to her cheeks before she cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, I'll keep an eye on her, sir. I planned on taking her around tomorrow to see where she would be the most useful. I have a question though.." At the wave of Negans hand for her to continue, she did so. "Why did you give her that room? Usually new ones get put on the lower level or if you want them, you ask them straight out. Why is she different?" He chuckled, not at all offended by her questions, having his own respect for her because she's been there with him a long time, near the start of the outbreak, actually. "I see potential in the girl, that's all you need to know." He left it at that and stood, disappearing out of the door leading to the hallway, his favorite weapon, Lucille, thrown over his shoulder. She stared after him as he left, and she walked out a few moments later and headed to her own room for the night, an embarrassed and annoyed scowl on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Jumping awake at the sound of her alarm going off, Laura groaned while crawling over to it and slamming her hand down to silence the aggravating beeping that was coming from it. She laid there for a few seconds before standing up and slowly making her way over to the cabinets that held the food. Reaching up, she opened the first one to her right, her eyes widening at all that she saw there. She was still in disbelief at all these people had but she felt lucky to be a part of it now and hoped she would be able to stay here for as long as possible. Grabbing a can of peaches she saw and a granola bar, she nibbled on the bar while she pulled the can open, thankful it didn't need a can opener because she really didn't feel like searching around for one. She drained some of the juice into a small cup and set it to the side for later and then slipped her fingers in to eat at the small chunks of peaches since she finished her granola bar.

She got about half way down in the peaches before she decided to lay it on the counter and she covered it in some napkins that were there sitting with the other items. Setting everything neatly on the counter, she made her way to her bathroom and proceeded with getting ready for the day. Going to her little sink, she brushed her teeth and her long hair. It was now naturally curled up and looked soft to the touch thanks to her much needed shower. Now that it was clean you could see that it was a brownish auburn with a soft red tint to it depending on the lighting.

She went back to her room and picked up some of the clothing that fell from her bed when she slept, forgetting to move it the night before. She looked around and saw a small little clothing rack with a few hangers and she hung up her shirts and pants before looking around to where she would put her other clothes. Seeing her side table had two drawers and decided that would do, she neatly began putting her panties and the other bra she was given in the drawers, the other she wore before having been thrown in the trash the night before, and she stuffed the few pairs of socks in there as well except for one pair of socks out and walked back to her clothing and picked out a pair of faded blue jeans and a deep purple v neck long sleeved shirt. She stripped, pulling the pants up, them fitting her nicely but she knew once she gained her weight back, they would be a perfect fit. She threw her shirt and the shorts on her bed, knowing she'd wear them later that night and pulled the purple shirt over her head and it fit her as well.

She walked to the bathroom where her dirty clothes were and threw them in a bag she saw in the far corner, assuming it was for this purpose. She made her way out to her counter top, picking up her belt and wrapping it around her waist and then picked up her machete, running her fingers along the large blade with a smile. This machete, she's had it long before the outbreak even occurred. It was a normal blade but on the other side it had incredibly sharp teeth running down until the middle. It was black, and the hilt was also black with some purple stitching mixed in the fabric in a swirling design. She left the other, duller one on the counter and grabbed her pistol she stole from a police station near the beginning. Securing them both on her hips, as well as her little dagger on her ankle before walking over to slide her socks and her worn out boots on.

Standing there lost in thought for a moment, she jumped when she heard a light knock on her door. Walking over, she opened it and saw Sherry there, dressed in similar attire but she had a black v neck and pants on with a soft grey jacket over her top, her grey boots being in much better condition. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a tight pony tail and a smile was on her naturally pink lips. "Well look at you, I'm surprised you're even up on time. Good start!" She motioned for her to follow, keeping an eye on her because of her weapons and still a bit weary because she was new and they knew very little about one another.

They continued on their way up the hall from Lauras room in a comfortable silence. Reaching the stairs from the day before, they, went down to the lower level but instead of going forward to the more populated area, Sherry turned left and went down a small hallway with a handful of what looked like offices, she guessed were rooms, and out a back door. Following behind her, Laura shielded her eyes from the bright sun and took in her surroundings. Seeing the tall silver chain linked fences that were wrapped around the large building, another outer fence around the first and both looked to have sharpened wood spikes and broken steal pipes sticking out of the ground at all angles facing outwards.

The outer fence was reinforced with large, heavy wooden beams, and if she were to go further out to look at the outer fence she would of seen the deep trenches that were dug around the fence as well. The ground was covered in pavement, and as she looked out at the large fenced in area she could see a handful of tables with all sorts of weapons laid out, from swords, machetes, different sized pocket knives, a wide range of guns and so on. A few men and women were sitting around them and were keeping themselves busy with cleaning and repairing anything that needed it, she remembered seeing something similar in the building the day before. Looking to the right of all of the tables, she saw maybe two dozen people sparing, practicing hand to hand, some lifting weights or punching one of the 3 punching bags that were set up or anything to keep them active and moving.

Sherry led her over to an area that had a few mixed matched chairs that you would usually see out doors like different types of fold out chairs and there was a large clear area to give any few people enough room to move around. The man from the day before walked up to Sherry, he had his hair thrown back like before, a black t shirt, loose jeans, and his boots on like before. He spoke to her in a hushed tone while Laura stood by and she nodded her head and he walked off. Sherry turned and smiled at Laura and motioned her over. As she was walking over to the woman, Johnny walked over and handed Sherry a small pair of sparing gloves before walking off. Sherry handed them to her and backed off a bit and put her own on that she must of grabbed without her noticing. "Now, I'd hate to put you on the ground level in the building to do all of the boring work, so I hope you can fight.. If you're good, maybe Negan will let you go out on runs with me, I've been needing another partner. So... Show me what you got!"

The woman crouched slightly, her fists held out in front of her in a defensive position and she waited for Laura to make the first move. As she finished putting on her own gloves, Laura walked a little closer to the other woman and watched her with a careful gaze. Crouching a little herself, her own fists held out in front of her, she thought on what her first move would be. She circled around Sherry slowly, observing the way she stood, crouched, held herself, the way she moved. Lauras trained eyes picked up a small, almost non-existent hitch in her step when she was putting weight on her left side and she smiled lightly at that, deciding on a strategy to take the other woman down. Laura moved quickly, aiming a punch at her right side, it being blocked quickly with a swat of the other womans hand as expected. She spun around and aimed a hard side kick to Sherrys left side now, dodging a punch aimed at her own chest which caused the kick to have a little less power than she intended. They carried on for just a moment or so, the woman trading blows with one another but then Laura dropped into a lower crouching position and aimed a hard punch at Sherrys left knee, instantly bringing her to the ground with a pained gasp.

Some of the others were watching from the sidelines and a few clapped and shouted in excitement at the fact someone was able to bring Sherry down so fast. Laura's eyes took on a serious, calculating light as she fought the other woman but when she heard her gasp, they instantly went back to their soft, calmer looking green. She walked forward to reach out to the woman and helped her stand, a more noticeable limp appearing when she took a few steps, another pained gasp leaving her lips too but it was easy to see she was trying to hide how severe her pain actually was from the others. Laura whispered out gently so no one else heard her, respectful enough to not give away the woman's weakness. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you that bad.. Is there anywhere I can take you to get looked at?" Sherry laughed out, a soft blush on her cheeks and she accepted the woman's help and directed her back in the side door and gave her directions to the infirmary. "Inside down the opposite hall that we came down to come out here, room 5. Damn! You're better than I thought, we need to see what all you're good at so we can get your ass out on runs with us. We could always use the extra help." Laura smiled softly, a dark blush on her cheeks at the compliment but she kept walking the way to the infirmary, the other woman leaning against her for some support since Laura already had her arm wrapped around her waist now that they were inside and there wasn't anyone else around.

Once they reached the door, Sherry pushed it open and they walked in and Laura looked around curiously. There was some mixed matched cushioned chairs like you would find at any sort of office in different areas of the small room. There was a sturdy wooden table against the wall with a thin light blue sheet thrown over it and a small black pillow on it. On the left of the room there was a large double door closed cabinet and a door to another room of some sort and on the right side of the room there was a sink, and some cabinets up top above the sink and below it. Laura walked the woman over to the table and helped her sit on it comfortably. Looking up, she saw a man walking from the door off to the left side and she could see it was a smaller office. He had on a mostly clean but slightly frayed Drs coat, a brown t shirt and some form fitting jeans on, and a pair of slightly clean white tennis shoes on his feet. He seemed decently fit, reaching about 5'11 with shaggy black hair that was only a few inches long, coming to the back of his neck, a soft look in his honey brown eyes. His voice was a bit scratchy that come from years of hard smoking but held a warmth to it as he spoke. "Ahh, Sherry. What happened to you?! " He chuckled out as he walked over to the women. Laura stepped back with a slight blush on her cheeks and scratched at the back of her head nervously. She opened her mouth to speak but Sherry cut her off before she had the chance. "She kicked my ass, man. She's a lot smarter than she looks." She let out a playful laugh at her own words and leaned over to nudge Laura on the hip, causing the other woman to laugh as well and she spoke out in defense. "It really was an accident, I didn't realize her old wound was that bad.. "

The man in front of them watched the exchange, chuckling as well and nodded his head as he lowered himself down to crouch low in front of Sherry and he began to lightly squeeze and move her knee for a moment, taking note to the soft gasp of pain he heard from Sherry and the amount of swelling he felt, even from over her clothing and he stood back up with a stern look on his face before speaking. "Well, you fucked it up, again... You'll need to take it easy for the next few days or it'll get a lot worse." As he spoke to her, he made his way over to the cabinets that lined the walls up top and began rummaging through them, mumbling out every so often before he pulled out a large bottle of pills and picked up a smaller one that was beside the sink. Pouring a few of each into his hand, making sure to let a few extra fall from the larger bottle, he made his way over to the women and handed them to Sherry.

"Big pills are the anti-inflammatory, twice a day for 5 days. The small white ones are for pain, twice a day with those too, one extra if its too painful. You need to take it easy and lay in bed most of the time and I'll come by to check on you in the next day or so and for the love of god, keep it propped up this time." He saw the look on the woman's face and laughed out at her stubbornness. "I mean it, if you keep doing this, it will end up getting so bad you may have a serious limp and that will really get in the way, Sherry." She nodded her head and he leaned over to snag an empty, small orange bottle for her to put her medicine in and she stuffed it into her pocket and stood up, almost losing her balance but Laura caught her and let he lean some of her weight on her side. Laura smiled at the man and helped Sherry to the door while speaking. "Thank you for your help, I'll make sure she gets to her room and gets some rest. It was nice meeting you...?" Remembering she never did get the mans name, she paused before she head a light "Devon" leave the other womans lips and she smiled again at the man. "Nice to meet you Devon and thanks again!"

The women turned and made their way from the room and with Sherrys instructions, they finally made it to her room. Sherry unlocked the door and hobbled in, plopping herself down on the bed, her room set up very similar to Lauras but the colors and furniture did have its differences. A scowl was on her face from the pain but then she looked up at the other woman to smile softly. "Thanks for your help, I'm gonna try and get some rest before I have to go and break the news to Negan that I can't go on our run later today." With that, she laid down and Laura made her way out of the room, shutting the door behind her as she went. She walked down the hall, looking around with confusion clearly written on her face because she could not seem to remember which way to go to make it back to her room. She walked down another hall, obviously not paying much attention to her surroundings, until she bumped into something rather hard, she assumed it was a wall, and fell right on her ass.

With a grunt, she sat up, the sound of a deep chuckle catching her attention and she looked up and was met with the grey eyes of Negan. He had a cocky smile on his face, which she would soon learn was normally always there. It took her a moment to realize he was reaching down for her hand, which she gratefully grabbed, and he pulled her up to stand. Pulling a little harder than necessary, she ended up bumping into his chest, which was basically with her face seeing how much shorter she was than him. She backed away and looked up at him, a slight blush on her cheeks and she looked around awkwardly after a moment, his now playful grin causing her to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Umm.. Thank you. I guess I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going..."

"Mmm, yeah, I guess not. So! I heard Ms. Sherry won't be making it on our run today because SOMEONE apparently kicked her ass." He laughed again at the embarrassed look on the woman's face before shaking his head to interrupt her when she spoke out. "I did not me-" "Hey, I'm not mad at ya! It's actually impressive!" She looked up at his words of praise, taking notice of his damp hair, the white t shirt that slightly clung to his rather impressive but not overly defined muscles. His usual jacket and scarf were missing and he had on a simple pair of black jeans, a pair of boots similar to the ones from the day before on his feet except they were a faded grey color. It slipped her notice that she wasn't the only one looking someone up and down, his eyes traveling over her curves, a soft hum of appreciation leaving him, but it went unnoticed by her because she was obviously lost in her own thoughts. She tilted her head to look up into his eyes, her voice holding the confusion she felt. "Umm..Thank you, I guess." Catching her gaze with his own, surprised she didn't happen to notice his wondering eyes, he went on to end their conversation, curious as to what the small womans reaction will be to what he had to say. " On the other hand, now I'm gonna need someone else to go with me on my run, and that someone is you, Laura."

Her eyes widened slightly and she was only more confused than before. "Why me though? Wouldn't it make sense to take someone with you who you trust and has been here longer?" He chuckled again before speaking out, a hint of sarcasm in his words. "Yeah, the only person I trust like that around here is Sherry, which is why she is the one that usually goes on my runs with me. Now though, you took her down, which is, like I said, impressive as fuck. So, you will be taking her place. We need to see if you will have some sort of use while you're here anyway and sense shes laid up, I'll be the one over seeing that." He turned to walk the way he came, the realization he did not even have to come this way hitting her, which made her understand that he purposely bumped her crossing her mind and a scowl formed on her features. She glared at him as he walked, and he waved over his shoulder. "See ya in two hours out front, pack clothes and shit for a few days."

A/N: Thanks to all of you who are still reading. ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Please read and review, enjoy. ^^

Negan disappeared around the corner and she grunted out in annoyance before turning the opposite way and made her way back to her room, thankfully finding it quickly since Sherrys room, she now saw, was down the opposite hallway from hers and to the left and down a smaller hall to the right. She walked into her own room, shutting the door a little hard behind her and she plopped down on her bed with a sigh. She was confused as to why he would want her to go with him but she brushed the thought from her mind and stood up after a moment and then she walked over to her little bathroom and hurriedly got her water ready and took a quick bath, washing her hair as well. She wanted to enjoy this, just in case they were gone longer than planned because of course that has happened plenty of times when she's gone on runs before with old groups. She got out of the bathtub, drying her body and then her hair with her towel and she walked to the mirror, brushing her hair out and then her teeth and she wrapped the towel around herself and grabbed the clothing she wore that day and threw them into her basket, except her bra, and grabbed her toothbrush and hair brush and she brought it with her out into her bedroom.

Going over to her 'living room', she dropped the items on the small couch but then she noticed she wasn't alone and let out a loud yelp of surprise and turned to, stare into the amused eyes of Sherry, who was currently sitting on the end of the bed. Her outfit from earlier was gone and she was in a comfortable black t shirt and a tight but comfortable looking pair of gray sweat pants and a simple pair of black and gray tennis shoes on her feet. Her long blonde hair was falling down her back in soft waves, it reaching a little above her mid back. "Ha, sorry to scare you, Laura. I just came by to talk to you for a minute about some things.. I uh, can wait for you to put some clothes on." She chuckled a little and turned her head to give the other woman some sort of privacy while speaking. "My knee was starting to fuckin hurt when I was waiting out there so I came in. Sorry about that."

Laura made her way over to the side table by her bed and grabbed a pair of black panties and socks and then turned to walk over to her clothes rack and grabbed a black and dark purple flannel, black tank top, and a slightly ripped pair of black skinny jeans. All while she moved around her room, she never did pick up on the wandering gaze that was following her around, the owner of said gaze not letting her eyes linger for too long before facing the opposite wall. While she made her way towards her bathroom, she grabbed her bra from the couch and laughed out awkwardly. "Nahh, it's fine." Shutting the door behind her, she hurriedly threw her clothes on. She left the flannel open, unconcerned with closing it properly since there was a tank-top there and she slipped on the only pair of boots she had, which were a little beyond worn down, and made her way from the room after hanging her towel up. Shutting the door behind her, she began putting her hair up with a hair tie, a few strands falling from the messy bun to frame her face, her medium length bangs hanging down in her eyes before she brushed them to the side. Standing a few feet from the other woman, her eyes met Sherrys and she slowly made her way over to plop herself down beside her and looked over with a confused expression.

"Umm...So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Laura could hear the sigh that came from the other woman and it only confused her further, wondering why she seemed upset, or worried, she wasn't sure. Sherry gave a hesitant smile but then spoke out. "Laura, what do you think of Negan, exactly?" The question took Laura by surprise, but she tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving the other woman her answer. "Well, I mean, he seems rough around the edges and like a man who demands respect and does not take no for an answer. He seems to have good control on things here, which is a nice change. Some of the last few place I have been, they were... they could be worse than being on the outside for some people sometimes..." Sherry nodded her head and when she heard mumbled words come from her, she asked for her to repeat herself because she didn't hear what her and Laura chuckled while doing so. "He does seem really full of himself and like a cocky asshole though..." The women stared at each other and then they both busted out laughing for a moment before Sherrys face grew serious once more.

"You are pretty much right when it comes to him... The reason I ask is because, well.." She held the other woman's eyes and her voice was low and it seemed as if she was hesitating when it came to what she wanted to say. "You need to be careful around him. There are some things you don't know and you just need to be.." A loud knock on the door forced both women to jump and then the door swung open to reveal the man she met the day before, Johnny. He gave a grunt in Sherrys direction and then grumbled out to the other woman. "Negan says to hurry up. He wants to get going before it gets too late. 10 minutes. Round the front." He walked out and shut the door behind himself, surprisingly a lot gentler than when he opened it. The few men Laura has met or seen around the place did seem rather rude and a little grumpy but hell, that was pretty common with everything that has happened, there was not much room for people who were too soft. She let out a sigh and stood from her spot on the bed and went around her room to gather a few things. She was so lost in thought, she forgot Sherry was still in the room and about their conversation. She grabbed at a few pairs of panties, a bra, a tank top or two, another pair of pants but they were regular blue jeans, and two shirts, one of which was a black t shirt and the other was a black and grey flannel. She neatly shoved them into her backpack. The pack was rather large, plenty of room for things if you were traveling but it wasnt too bulky. It had a few pockets on the front and side and was a faded, dark grey color. She already had a few other pieces of clothing from her last group which were thankfully clean so she left them with the others she just shoved in there.

She finally remembered Sherry was there and looked up to meet her eyes for a moment, her own holding curiosity at the words the woman spoke just a few moments ago. "What were you talking about just now, I need to be careful around Negan? I mean, he seems like a cocky, flirtatious ass but... it isn't like I would actually fall for that shit.." Sherry laughed and stood up, her movements a little slow and pained but she nodded her head and made her way to the door while speaking. "Just be careful, alright? You seem like you would be fun to have around so don't go dying out there!" With that, she opened the door and walked from Lauras room, shutting the door behind her. Laura was still confused at her words, but she went back to packing her bag for the, supposedly, 2 or 3 day trip. She finished with her clothing, adding in a few pairs of socks and a small but comfortable, soft, multi colored, swirled black blanket. She had some room, so she threw in a few water bottles and granola bars, an apple or two and 2 cans of veggies she had. Remembering she already had a few lighters and a flash light in the bag, she decided she was almost done with her packing.

She went over to where her weapons were, and grabbed her Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm and she slid it onto the belt on her hip, she sewed on a few loops and a holder for the gun a year or so ago so it fit perfectly. Grabbing at one of the small containers she had with the different bullets, she slid the matching ones into one of the larger pockets on the side of the pack. Looking on the counter at the few weapons she had, she decided on a 6' black and silver handled pocket knife, the blade also a clean silver color and slid it into her side pocket closed. She finally grabbed her favorite machete and slid it onto the belt on her hip and slung her pack on her back. She looked around her room trying to make sure she got everything and then left the room, shutting the door behind her and headed down to the front and thankfully she made it to the front where she was supposed to meet Negan without getting lost.

She looked around, not entirely sure where she was supposed to go. She saw some men and women here and there, unloading things from other larger trucks and some just lazing around and talking. There wasn't much out here besides a few cars and everything else she has already seen and she guessed they kept the rest of the population, training, and things like that to be done inside or around the sides of the building where there was more privacy. A slightly obnoxious giggle caught her attention and she turned her head to see a long haired blonde leaning against the wall of the building to the right, her tall but curvy body only being covered in a skimpy black dress, small slits up the side to reveal more of her lightly tanned skin. The top of the dress barely held her generous sized breasts and it was obvious she was trying to push them up to show as much cleavage as possible. She was currently looking up at a man, Lauras eyes widening slightly when she realized it was Negan. He had a hand against the wall beside the womans head and hushed words were spoken before he leaned in to kiss the woman rather roughly, it being obvious by the amount of time spent and the movement of their mouths that their tongues were currently intertwined. He pulled away after a few moments and the woman leaned up from the wall to stand beside him, a loud smack being heard as he slapped her ass and a rough "Get on inside" could be heard from him and she giggled and walked back into the building.

Laura stood there, wondering if the woman she saw was possibly Negans wife or?... She shook her head when she saw the man walking her way and she gripped onto the strap of her back pack as she waited. She noticed he had on his, apparently, favorite leather jacket over a white t shirt, a pair of form fitting black jeans on his long legs and a simple pair of black boots on his feet. His bat was slung over his shoulder and once he was close to her, he purposely stood right in her bubble and smiled down at her as she stared up at him, Laura having to actually tilt her head back to meet his eyes from her short height, as always, as she spoke out softly. "Umm... Hi?"

He laughed and shook his head at the shy but defiant way she carried herself around him and laid a soft pat to her head as one would a child, just to piss her off and he walked passed her, making his way over to a slightly beat up double row black truck. He hopped in and she began to make her way over to the truck, a scowl on her face from the way he treated her like a child. She swung the door open and jumped in, setting her pack in her lap and being careful of the machete strapped to her waist, she moved it so it was resting beside her in the middle of the seat. She kept her eyes looking forward, intent on ignoring him throughout their ride to wherever it was they were going. She noticed the gym bags and random backpacks thrown into the backseat of the truck, a blanket and pillow on the floor as well. She guessed those were for if whoever happened to be driving the truck found themselves without shelter for the night and the bags were for their run and she also noticed a slightly filled smaller black pack that looked similar to her own.

Negan started the truck and pulled out of the compound and she was now able to see the deep trenches that were wrapped around the outer fences and that there were more mixed match spikes all around to prevent walkers from taking over. Near the large main gate that was currently being pulled open by two men, she could see that there were actually walkers chained up in the small areas between the inner and outer fences. Not being able to really see it all properly, she decided to take a closer look later on but if she had to bet on it, she had a few ideas on why they were there. Pulling away from the gates he began driving on the long road out to...somewhere. It only took a few moments for the silence to be broken, by Negan, of course. "So, how you likin it so far? It sounds to me like you've already made a name for yourself. Half the assholes that looked your way are scared shitless because you took Sherry down." His words were followed by a deep chuckle because he saw the look of slight embarrassment and annoyance on the womans face and the way she refused to meet his eyes, because he turned to look at her for a moment as he drove, not too worried about paying attention to the road because all of the debris were removed a while back by his men and he kept a look out in the corner of his eye. After a few seconds he turned his face back to the road and was actually surprised when he heard her speak out. "I am enjoying my time there and am grateful you took me in. Thank you."

He cut his eyes over to look at her, the legitimate smile on her face making him feel at ease, for whatever reason. Turning his attention back to the road after a few seconds he continued on and the silence took back over. They drove for about 30 minutes and she of course paid attention to where it was they were going, just in case. He was lost in his own thoughts and Laura was currently looking out of the window to take in the sights of fields and broken down houses they went past. She was absentmindedly tapping her fingers on her knee and then she turned her head to look back at him, asking him something she was curious about, even though she was not even sure why she was in the first place. "Was that your wife?" He busted out laughing at her forward approach of the subject and she stuttered out after a moment.

"Okay, wait. That came out wrong.. I was just curious, I mean. I don't see a ring and I.. " He shook his head, that same cocky grin he always wore making its way to his lips and he laughed out, interrupting her as she tried to explain herself. "That woman was my wife, yeah, only one of them though." Laura had a look of confusion on her face and she tilted her head to stare at him intently. He looked at her in the corner of his eyes for a moment, her confused look amusing to him, already expecting the question she asked. "One of them? You mean, you have more than one wife?" With a nod of his head, he gave her a simple "Yes" and then the truck was filled with silence again. She was facing forward again, obviously lost in thought and then she noticed they were approaching, what looked like, a small town. They rode by some small buildings and homes, the highest reaching about 3 floors. She saw a grocery store, some other stores here and there, what looked like a library, and at first glace it looked to me a large school, the building only being two stories but then she saw the conjoined sign and it looked as if it were a middle and high school so it was actually pretty small.

As they continued on, she noticed the buildings began to become fewer and fewer until they reached a large sign, with what she assumed, used to be nicely trimmed bushes to frame a sign that read "Lake View Village" but the overgrown plants almost hid the sign completely. He turned in and drove for a minute or two down a long double laned road until large houses came into view. It looked like it used to be a wealthy neighborhood, the houses large and some reaching 3 floors, no less than two. Some had doors thrown open or windows broken and she was curious as to why they were here since the homes looked as if they had already been cleaned out. She noticed a walker or two roaming around, not really giving them much thought because they both looked so incredibly sickly skinny it would not be a problem to take them down, if the need ever came. Negan took a left down a dirt road that was very easy to miss with the over grown bushes and grass to miss. She noticed there was a few homes back at the end of the road, all of them looking untouched and she understood now that people must have looked over the fact they were back here, not smart enough to journey further in or not having the time to. There had to be at least two dozen or so home all spread out in different areas, some hidden behind trees, some out in small open fields.

He stopped at the first house they came to, it being two floors, a pale cream color with light brown shutters, a relatively simple home but rather large and just like the others, it looked untouched. She was still surprised because it was incredibly rare to come across anywhere that wasn't already ransacked these days. He pulled into the garage, it thankfully being opened, and then he cut the engine he opened his door and he hopped from the truck, his bat in his hand and shut it behind himself. Laura grabbed her machete and made sure her pistol was in place on her belt and then she hopped from the truck, shutting it behind her a little quieter than Negan had his. She noticed he was in the backseat of the truck and he was grabbing a few bags and she walked around to meet him. He leaned out from the truck and handed her a backpack that looked similar to her own but it was a lot larger and a medium sized gym bag, both being a faded black color, a over sized gym bag in his hand, all of them empty. Shutting the back door he nodded towards the side door that led to the home while speaking. "You head on inside, wait at the door but check it out to make sure none of those assholes are around, I'm gonna get this garage door shut."

She gave a slight nod of her head, throwing the bags over her shoulder and she pulled her machete out, gripping it in her hands as she walked over to the door and reached out to check and see if it was locked or not. She was surprised at the face that it was but hell, who would have time to look back and see if their door was locked with the world falling apart around them. She was oblivious to the fact that Negan was across the garage and watching her, a pleased smile on his face at the way she was handling herself and her careful movements. He turned his attention to the door of the garage and noticed the handle to pull it down and a devious smirk came to his lips as he looked back at her for a moment before reaching up to pull it down, a loud bang being heard and he heard a soft yelp from inside of the house and he laughed out at the knowledge that it was her. He walked over to the door and stepped in, acting as if he had done nothing wrong, kicking lightly to shut it and he went right passed her, gruffly speaking out "Come on, we don't have time for games." He heard an annoyed huff behind him and let a little chuckle leave his lips before the carefree look on his face became serious and he scanned the room they were in.

They took just a few steps, being in a small hallway with a small navy blue trashcan in it and a small circular silver mirror hung up on the off white wall above a small dark square table that held some keys and a few random books. They made their way into a large kitchen and looked around, it was easy to see the layers of dust that covered everything around the home, evidence that the place probably hasn't been touched since the outbreak, which was comforting in a way. It was set up as most any other kitchen would be, counter tops, an island in the middle with a stove and oven, the colors being the dark brown similar to the outside of the house and that same cream color. He stopped in the middle of the room and pointed up to the second floor, his voice now a lot less playful, per the serious situation. "You take the top, I'll get the bottom. Yell if you need help, we can meet up in the living-room." With those words, he made his way out of the kitchen and headed into the living-room, all while whistling a soft, catchy tune. He was so nonchalant about the entire situation, it was refreshing in a way.

Sighing softly, she turned around and made her way towards the staircase which was just a few steps from the kitchen and with her weapon raised, she made her way up. She was unaware of the mans gaze that lingered on her backside before he too made his way into the other room, a sly smirk on his lips. As she neared the top of the steps, she tapped the tip of her shoe against the first step, the noise sure to bring out any unwanted visitors since the noise down stairs obviously didn't. Waiting for a moment, she was relieved to see that there was none around so she stepped up to the top. Looking left, she could see that there was a short hallway with a closed white door at the end, another one on the right wall, and a small light colored circular wooden table in the corner with a few books laying on-top of it in-between the doors. Looking right she noticed a longer hallway, a total of 4 doors being seen, two on the right, one at the end and one on the left closer to the stair case.

Deciding on going down the smaller hallway, she turned left and tapped the door closest to her open with her foot, her weapon still in her hand but she was a little more relaxed since it seemed there were no others in the home but she still stayed alert. With the door being fully opened, she could see that it was an office with a large cherry wood desk with a matching chair with a black cushion on it pushed to the side of it, a packed to the brim bookcase and a couple of comfortable deep red and cherry wood chairs, two in front of the desk and a small matching couch against the wall near the door, with two side tables on each side of it. Looking around on the walls, being sure to keep her ears open for any strange noises, she made her way into the middle of the room, taking notice to the large safe she saw in the corner of it. With the dusty, large deep red curtains pulled back, it was easy to see the front yard and the neighborhood through the two arched windows behind the desk and she made her way over to the safe, hoping there would be something useful in it. Once she reached it, she noticed it was slightly ajar and her hopes began to fade but she opened it anyway, just in case. A look of surprise took over her face when she opened the door and saw that there were indeed a few guns and small boxes of ammo still there. A few of the spaces looked as if they once held a weapon but they were long gone by now. Seeing the two shotguns hanging there, she grabbed at the silver one first and examined it. Seeing it was a Mossberg, the barrel being probably a 20", and looking down, the site of the shotgun shells below telling her it was a 12 gauge, she smiled even more. Seeing the other black shotgun, she guessed it was a Benelli Nova, both pump-action and it always got her excited when she was able to find weapons. She really did hope that she was able to keep some of the items she found on runs because she has been in a few groups that were led by greedy, idiotic people and she was forced to give up anything that she found. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she went on the other one in the safe she noticed was a hunting rifle of some sort and then she saw it was a bolt action and she picked them up and walked them over to the gym bag she had and set them in it on the large desk.

Making her way back over to the safe, she grabbed at all of the bullets, packing them into their boxes to save space and she guessed she got at least a few dozen of the shotgun and a full two small boxes of pistol ammo. Gently throwing them into the bag, she went back to see if she missed anything and saw a pair of pistols hidden in the back of the safe, under what she guessed were rags used to clean the weapons with, the pistols a deep black color and she could tell they were very similar to her own pistol. Putting those into the bag, she made her way around the room to see if she could find anything else useful. Being in there for just a few minutes longer, it was easy to see that there was nothing else so she picked up the bag and made her way to the room at the end of the hall. Reaching down to open the door, she walked in and looked around cautiously, her machete still in her hand for if she were to need it. Looking around, she noticed a large bed in the middle of the room, the head board against the wall between two smaller rectangular windows, the colors of the blankets being a cream and light blue color, it matching the walls of the room perfectly with its own soft cream color. There was a small love-seat near the large light tan dresser to the right of the room, another door leading to what looked like a bathroom on the other side and she made her way through the rooms just as she did with the office.

About 10 minutes later, she emerged from the room with some clothes for men and woman thrown into the empty pack on her back to add to the ones at the Sanctuary, a pocket knife she found in the side table by the bed thrown in with the guns. Walking to the other side of the stair case, she worked her way through those rooms as well, not finding much of anything but some children clothes for male and female and some female teen clothes she decided to grab to take back. Making her way down the stairs thinking she was probably up there for about 30-40 minutes or so, she slowly went towards the living-room to see if Negan happened to have found anything else useful. Walking into the large room, the first thing she noticed was the man sitting reclined on the couch, his large feet thrown up on the table and he was in a relaxed position as he was thumbing through some magazine she assumed he found. Noticing he must have not realized she was there, she made herself known with a slight cough in his direction and waited.

Looking up from what he was doing, he smiled at her while speaking out "Well? Find any good shit up there?" While nodding her head, she told him of the weapons and rounds she found, as well as the clothes she threw in the bag to take back, but of course not taking up too much space because they would need it for more useful things if they were going to be going through more houses, which of course they were. He stood up then and clapped his hands once with an approving smile on his lips. "Good! The more weapons, the better. I'm sure the others will be damn grateful for the clothes too. The more people we bring, the more shit we gotta have. I already got the kitchen and rooms down here, so, time for the next place. Lets go."

A/N: Yes, there will be walkers, there will be violence, blood, all that good shit soon. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Negan grabbed the now full gym bag and she could see he had two new additions on his back, a deep purple and black hiking pack and an overly large tan one as well. It was obvious most of what was in his filled bag was cans by the sound and she followed him out to the truck. Throwing the stuff in the back seat, she followed his lead and did the same and then they got into the truck, after he opened the garage door again, and made their way on to the next house. He decided to just pull into the back yard of this house since the tall light wood fence was open. Pulling up right at the sliding glass door of the home, they both got out of the truck but this time carefully shutting the door since they were out in the open. They repeated the same process as they did with the first house with the home as well as the next few houses until it looked like it was about an hour until sunset so it was decided they would be staying at the next house for the night. Pulling into the garage of the home, he jumped out and shut the door a lot quieter this time since it was close to getting dark, pulling at it to make sure it was completely shut. Luckily, they only had a run in with a few walkers in two of the houses, which Laura actually took down, and one other in the yard of a home that Negan took care of.

Going through the steps of creating some noise in hopes that if their were any inside they would come to them to make it easier to get rid of them, they were happy to see none came. Making his way inside, only carrying a half empty large gym bag, his own pack, and his precious Lucille, he laid the bag on the dining room table in the kitchen. Following after him, her own small bag and pack on her shoulders, weapons still on her and machete in her hand, she shut and locked the door with the knob and bolt lock, making her way over to him. Same as earlier, she took the top and he the bottom and they made their way through the house in about 30 minutes. In that time, Negan made sure to lock the lower levels doors, sliding the couch in front of the front door and the heavy wooden kitchen table in front of the side door leading to the back, windows closed and locked and covered with curtains, and he met up with Laura at stairs. "Bottoms clear and locked up, thought we would head up top and rest there for the night." Not even waiting on an answer, he moved past her with his things, her following shortly after. They decided on sleeping in the same room, it being smarter to stay together in case anything were to happen, so she chose the master bedroom since the bed was a king and left them plenty of space to sleep without the chance of being too close. Dropping their things by the door, he walked over to a comfortable looking black recliner in the corner near what looked to be a soft purple colored vanity and plopped down, kicking his shoes off in the process. Watching him, she laughed softly to herself, taking notice how the man made himself comfortable wherever he seemed it be.

Turning back, she walked from the room and grabbed two pairs of shoes, a few books, and a vase she found and put them on a few different parts of the stairs so if anyone, or anything, were to somehow get in and they didn't notice, they would definitely trip or knock something over to alert them. Walking back into the room, she closed and locked the door behind her and dropped down on the bed and laid back with a content sigh, her back killing her at the moment. For about 10 minutes they sat/laid there until the light from outside was almost non existent, Laura got up and went to the bathroom where she happened to find more candles earlier and set them around the room, lighting them before it was too dark for them to see. While she did this, Negan was up and shutting the curtains, making sure no light could escape, and then walked to his pack by the door, pulling out a can of chili, a one burner butane range, and a small pot. Grabbing some things from the vanity, he dropped them to the floor carefully into a small pile and set everything up and began heating the food.

Not paying much attention, he spoke out to her as he continued with what he was doing. "House is secure, no one for miles I'm sure except those dead bastards, if you can handle a cold shower, I say go freshen up and get ready for bed. Long day tomorrow." With a nod of her head, she grabbed her pack and made her way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, not bothering to lock it because she had some sort of faith in the man that he wouldn't barge in on her. Turning the water on, she groaned a little at the cold spray that came from it but luckily she could take it and she hurriedly stripped and jumped in. Washing her hair and body in record time, she jumped out and threw her clothes on. A pair of black leggings she found at another home was on her, a tight multicolored tank-top and thin black hooded jacket would follow. Brushing hair until it was tangle free, she then brushed her teeth and put everything back into her pack except her brush and went back into the room. Negan was now sitting on the bed, finishing up a plastic cup of the chili, trying to hide the fact he was eyeing her up and down hungerly. Thankfully, it went by her, as usual, and she sat her pack on the floor by his own and dug out a granola bar and headed back over to the bed. She went over and sat on her side of the bed, setting her brush beside her on the side table and sitting back against the headboard, she nibbled at her food, not incredibly hungry at the moment. After a few seconds, a cup was shoved against her shoulder and she looked over and saw some chili there that Negan had been eating earlier. "Eat the rest, you didn't eat today. Keep your strength up or you're gonna die, girl."

It took her a moment but when she understood what he said, she took the cup and slowly began to eat the rest of what was in it as he walked off with his bag to the bathroom and she heard the shower running. Seeing that the cup was empty and it was made of plastic, she threw it away in the little trashcan she saw near the window. It only took a few minutes for him to emerge form the bathroom, another white t shirt on and a pair of gray sweatpants and some white socks on his feet. Dropping his bag with the others like she did, he walked over to the bed, checking to make sure Lucille was by his side and then plopped down, laying back for a moment to relax a little. Thinking back to how long they have been in the house and when it started to get dark, he assumed it was only around 9 and knew he would not be sleeping for a while. He noticed her reaching over to the side table grabbing her brush and she began to brush her hair again out of boredom. For a moment or two she continued to brush it and then becoming bored again so she sat it back where it was and the grabbed her pocket knife she left on the bed before her shower and slipped it under her pillow. Laying back, she shut her eyes, and tried to relax and think about her day, unaware of Negans movements as she was so lost in thought.

He was leaning over the side of the bed and tugged a half bottle of vodka from the nightstand he sat there earlier and opened it, taking a swig and then letting out a content sigh. "Whoever these people were, they had a nice ass collection of alcohol, care for some?" She opened her eyes and looked over at the bottle in his hands and laughed a little before sitting up and grabbing it from him and taking a large gulp of it herself. Thinking back to what she saw of when Negan secured the home and her own little things she did to make sure the home was secure, she decided it was okay to drink some, especially with how scarce the walkers were when they were on the way here. He had to admit, he was impressed that she took a good sized shot without even cringing, he found that rather attractive in a woman, now he wondered how well she could hold her alcohol.

Pulling the bottle back towards himself, he gulped down another two shots worth and handed it back to her and she did the same before handing it back to him and leaning back against the wall, a relaxed sigh leaving her lips as she began to feel the effects of the drink. Thankfully, she wasn't much of a lightweight and it didn't hit her as hard as it hit others but the fact she has not had a drink in such a long time, she did feel it more than she normally would. Negan took one more swig before setting it on the nightstand beside him and he also leaned back against the wall, grunting as he made himself comfortable. A few minutes passed, the only thing being heard in the dimly lit room was their breathing, the soft sounds of the lit candles, and the sound of nature outside. Eventually, she decided she needed to get something to drink to avoid a possible hangover and she sat up slowly, standing and making her way over to their bags. Bending down, she began to rummage around in her pack, as always, not noticing the eyes that were on her backside, the leggings doing nothing but showing the curves she had. It took just a few seconds more and she pulled out a bottle of some cranberry juice she found that day and went over to the bed, sitting down on her side and taking a few gulps of it before closing and tossing it at Negan. He caught it and took a few sips of it before setting it on the bed in-between them so she could take it back when she wanted it.

After a minute or two, she reached over and showed him her hand as if waiting for something and he chuckled and then leaned over to grab the bottle of vodka and handed it to her. Sitting up properly, she took another large sip of the drink, a slight shiver running through her at the feeling and the taste of it but other than that, she was fine. Twisting and moving her body, she leaned up against the wall again, no longer slouching but almost completely straight besides the pillow behind her back. The vodka still in her hands, she sat there and debated on taking another swig before the almost empty bottle was taken from her hands and Negans laugh reached her ears. Looking over at him, she glared at him but accepted the fact he took it from her and playfully swatted at his leg before leaning her head back on the wall. Grabbing the top, he closed the bottle, only a few shots worth left in it but he would save it for another time and he sat it on the bedside table. As he went to lean back to get comfortable, he noticed she was in the process of taking her jacket off and the amount of cleavage she had, her bra pushing her breasts up in the most appealing of ways had him internally groaning. 'Fuck, this is going to be a fun next few days...'

As he leaned back comfortably, and she did the same, she blurted out something that was on her mind, the slight slurring of her words a good sign to the fact that she may be just a little bit intoxicated. "Sooo... wives, plural, why?" He looked over at her again, a cocky smile on his lips as he answered her. "Honestly?" She looked over to meet his gaze, nodding her head as she waited for an answer. "I get first pick of everything that comes through those doors, so, naturally the women are the same."

He could see the slight annoyance on her face and before she could say anything, he held his hand up to stop her. "Wait, before you throw a fit, hear me out. They have the choice that everyone else gets. Put forth what talents you have and show what you can do and that is what area you get put in at the Sanctuary. Some women aren't bad-asses like you are so if I want em, they have the choice to become my wife which gives em my protection, more so than the others have, a room, and anything their little hearts desire, within reason of course. If they say no, then its over, the privileges are gone, and they get put where they will be the most useful." He took note of the soft blush that covered her cheeks at his sly little comment and the smirk on his lips widened as he had an idea.

"So... you don't force them?" He shook his head with a "Hell no" and she visibly relaxed. "Damn, I'm not that much of an ass! On another note though..." Moving so he was laying on his side now, his head propped up on his hand, he studied her for a moment, leaving his sentence hanging to gain her full attention. After a few seconds, she focused her eyes on him again, sliding down until she was also on her side in the almost exact same position as him and she smiled at him, playfully batting her eye lashes. "Yes?" He leaned towards her which caused her to see the lighter brown, nearing gold, hughs in his eyes at how close he was he spoke low, his warm breath which smelt of mint and vodka ghosting over her skin as he spoke. "How about you become one of my wives? Oh, the time we would have in bed with that..." She shot up in the middle of his words and punched his shoulder rather hard, that soft blush on her cheeks again and she scooted away from him, glaring at him as he finished, his words only causing her blush to darken. "Fucking feisty ass attitude, damn that hurt!" He was sitting up now, rubbing his abused shoulder but that smirk was still there and she huffed in aggravation and turned from him, yanking the blankets over her body and it was obvious that she was trying to go to sleep.

"G'night Laura.." He got up and blew out the candles, leaving one lit to allow a small amount of light into the room just in case and he set it on the vanity by the burner, keeping in mind to pack it up in the morning. Walking back over to the bed, he laid down and pulled the blankets over himself and shortly after, fell into a light sleep.

With the curtains being closed, no light peaked into the room so the two occupants in the house slept well past sunrise. Negan being the one that tended to sleep in on days he wasn't needed early, which was often, so he was still in a deep sleep at the moment. Laura was the first to wake up and she opened her eyes and almost yelped when she noticed she was face to face with Negan, a pillow in between them that he was...slightly curled up around. Hurriedly getting out of bed, she laughed softly and moved to the window to peak out, happy to see that there were no walkers around. This place amazingly had very few walkers. Shes come across a lot of those types of places but it never lasted long so staying in an open place for longer than necessary wasn't an option. She stood there staring off into the forest and at the other houses around and began to get lost in thought. Obviously not paying much attention to anything at the moment, she didn't see or hear Negan sitting up in bed or his eyes that were watching her, looking her curvy figure up and down with sleepy but hungry eyes. He stood slowly and quietly made his way over to her and stopped right behind her and he leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice slightly husky from sleep as well as the attraction he was growing for the little woman before him. "So, you never did give me an answer."

He moved back a step, laughing loudly when she jumped and a soft squeak left her lips and she spun on him, glaring at him as she did last night but her eyes were not hazy as they were the night before. "Don't do that! You fucking scared me." Her vulgarity only made him laugh harder, and the thought crossed his mind that he also liked a woman who could be respectful when it was needed but also spoke her mind and wasn't prissy about cursing like most women seemed to be. Huffing in annoyance, she brushed past him and grabbed her bag, making her way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Taking care of her bodily needs, she brushed her teeth and stripped her clothing from her body except her underclothes and she went looking for clothing for the day. Digging through the bag, she grabbed a pair of skinny blue jeans, black tank top, and a v-neck gray v neck, long sleeved thermal. Pulling all of the clothing on, she grabbed at her weapons belt and attached it to her clothing, packing her stuff up and walking out to meet Negan. Not realizing he decided to change in here, she walked out as he was pulling his pants up, some of his stomach and hips showing from the pants being so low and she was pleased to find that he was rather toned in the right places. He wasn't buff by any means but he was muscular where it mattered for sure and she got the strangest urge to claw her way up those abs and... Letting out a frustrated groan, she put on a fake smile and went over to grab her weapons from on and around the bed as well as her brush and whatever else she had.

"So, whats the plan for today anyway?" As she spoke, she was putting her knife in her pocket, gun on her hip, and machete in her right hand. "Same as yesterday. Gonna hit more houses and stay the night and then head back the next morning. I'll send a few groups out to get the rest of the houses, big ass neighborhood and they will get more done in groups. So, get your shit and lets load it up and we can start." With a playful wink, he went over and threw his jacket on, grabbing the bag he brought in, as well as hers and headed down to the truck. Looking around to make sure they got everything, she followed after him. Reaching the garage, she began throwing her long hair up into tight bun to keep in from her face and she went to the garage door and lifted it up as quietly as she could. After opening it so they could leave, she went and hopped into the truck, looking forward to what else they could find today.

By the look of the colors in the sky, it had to of been another two hours before nightfall and their luck continued on with the houses they came across. Guns, plenty of food, batteries, personal items, and so much more was found throughout the day. It seemed as if her guess was right and this entire neighborhood went without anyone touching it since before the outbreak. A few walkers were around and like the day before, they took them down easily. Coming to stop at one of the larger houses they have come across, Negan left the truck in the back yard as he did with a few others, the garage being full of boxes and a car. Taking note to remember the vehicle, Laura reached in the back of the truck and grabbed at their last empty gas container. They happened across a few of them at one of the first houses they went in this morning and there was no sense in letting them go to waste when they could easily siphon the gas in the cars they found.

Jumping from the truck, she grabbed a large gym bag and held the container in her left hand, her machete in her right, as always, and seeing that Negan had what he needed, she made her way up to the back door of the house. Grunting in annoyance when she realized the door was locked, she crouched down and ran her hand under the mat and along the top of the door to see if she could find a key and smiled when she felt one right on the end of the top of the door. Removing herself from her toes, she unlocked the door and slowly made her way inside, Negan behind her and he closed the door loudly, purposely trying to draw attention to themselves. Leaning down to set the gas can on the floor with her bag, she raised her weapon when she heard groans coming from what she guessed was the living room. Not even a few seconds later, two walkers came shuffling in, both looked to be males and their clothing nothing but tattered, filthy shirts and pants, their shoes having long ago fallen from their feet, if they had any on to begin with. The stentch was horrible, which was no surprise, but the even more frail look to them and the way they could barely even make it into the room without looking as if they would fall over any second showed that they havent eaten in months. Their skin was completely discolored and filthy and the one to the left barely had much of a jaw, it hanging loosely on his face and looked as if it could fall off at any second. Moving forward, Laura swiped her machete at one and easily separated the things head from its body and then she kicked the other hard in the chest, it instantly falling back with a sickening thud as it hit the floor and she stabbed her weapon down into his skull, the loud grunts and growls coming from it being silenced. Pulling the weapon from his head, she stood up, grabbed her back and went deeper into the home blood dripping from her weapon on the floors as she walked.

Following behind her, Negan had a smile on his face, impressed with the fact she just continued to prove that she knew how to handle herself. Doing their earlier routine, she made her way up the stairs, going through each room and grabbing whatever she could find that was useful. Reaching the last room, she tried to open the door and felt it was locked, this only being a slight annoyance since she didn't come across too many locked doors in homes... unless there was someone, living or dead, behind it. Raising her foot up, she roughly kicked the door in and cautiously walked in, her machete in her hand but her pistol was out and ready in case there actually was someone living behind it. She looked around for any movement and listened out for any sort of noise. Noticing the room was dark, the curtains having been pulled closed at some point, she pulled out the flash light she carried in with her up and clicked it on. She was relived to see that it was just a smaller guest bedroom and she then proceeded to make her way around the room as she did with any of the others.

Walking around the bottom half of the home, Negan started with the kitchen and made his way into the living room, the office, bathroom, and then what looked to be a game room. Having found only one gun in the desk in the office and a flimsy pocket knife, he was feeling a bit disappointed. While looking around the room, he noticed the nice dark gray colored plush recliner and he made a mental note to remind whoever he sent out to grab that and bring it back for him so he could put it in his room. Having been lost in thought, he failed to notice the soft sound of the side window in the living room opening up because the home was so large, or the figure that crawled in. Turning and making his way from the room, he headed out to meet Laura so they could continue on to another house or two before they needed to stop for the night. Turning the corner from the hallway that led to the room he was in before, he instantly swung his bat out at the figure he knew wasn't Laura and in no way looked friendly but missed him by a hair.

"And who the fuck are you?" Negan spoke out lowly. The other man was standing before Negan, tan skin, maybe an inch or two shorter than him and he had spiked short blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He was buff in a way but also very over weight so it would be harder to bring him down, depending on how you went at him of course. He wore a pair or what looked like new black cargo pants, a gray t shirt and a dark blue hoodie. His voice was a lot softer than what you would think comes from a male, especially one that looked like him but Negan listened none the less. "Saw your truck and that sweet ass you were cruisin with, me and my group figured all the shit y'all got and her would be better off in our hands." Noticing the glare he got from Negan, he assumed his anger wasn't just from the threat of taking his items, but as well as taking the girl so he decided to open his mouth and go on.

"The items, that is. Her though? Oh, I think she would be better off on her knees, or back, whichever comes first." With a sick laugh, he raised his own machete and began hacking at the other man, trying to hit him anywhere he could. Negan being an experienced fighter even before the outbreak, easily dodged his poorly thought out moves. Hearing a thump from upstairs, it distracted him with the thought that someone else may have come with the other man and could be up there with Laura by now and that was the only split second opening the other man need before he swung his weapon down and it sliced into Negans shoulder.

Coming out with nothing but a few blankets from the room she just came from, the half filled bag on her back, she slowly made her way to the stairs until she heard a loud "FUCKER" and a loud thud and she dropped the blankets and ran down the stairs. Turning a corner, her machete raised and ready in one hand, her pistol in the other, her eyes widened at what she saw. Negan had blood splattered on his face and some on his clothes and he was currently tugging his bat out of the head of who was unfortunate enough to come in contact with it. What had her so surprised though was the fact the person was not a walker and Negan had a nasty gash on his left shoulder and blood was flowing from it freely. Making her way over while putting her machete on her hip but keeping the other weapon out in case other people were around, she looked out of a window that was in the living room, a few feet from the now dead man.

Seeing that there was no one else around but knowing that could change quickly, she turned and walked to the kitchen grabbing two hand towels and made her way back to Negan and threw them at him while she spoke, her voice harder than it normally was and it was easy to see she was not messing around. "Cover it, pressure, we need to go. He looks well taken care of so that must mean there are others and we have no idea how many."

Leaning over to grab the bag he carried in and crouching down to snag what the other man had, luckily it being another shotgun similar to what she found the day before, a smaller slightly dull machete, and a heavy ax from his back. Standing up, she rushed to the door they came in. Negan actually followed behind her with no complaints, his right hand up putting pressure on his wound. Tossing everything into the packed full truck and making sure everything was secure in the bed of the truck, she shoved him into the passenger side, snatching the keys from him when he tried to object. "No, stop. We don't have time for this shit, there could be others and you know it so shut up and let me drive. I know somewhere we can go that's safe." With those words, she shut the door and ran and hopped up in the drivers seat and took off.


	6. Chapter 6

Evening everyone! ^^ I hope you are enjoying it so far and as always, read and review please.

Knowing she didn't have much of an idea as to where they were, she asked him for directions to the main highway and hauled ass in the direction he pointed her. They road in silence, her gun beside her leg in the middle of them, close just in case, and she kept her eyes on the road and also on the rear view mirror. The longer they road, the calmer she became when it was obvious no one was following. On that note, she slowed down and then came to a stop on the side of the road, of course checking to make sure there were no walkers around. Cutting the engine, she turned to Negan, her voice softer but still holding a tone that made it obvious she wasn't playing. "Shirt off, throw those rags out and let me look at it." He was sitting there, staring at her with a calm look on his face but it was easy to see he was in pain. Surprisingly doing as he was told, he tugged his now ripped jacket and shirt off, he tossed his clothing and the rags out the window and by the way he was glaring at his jacket, he was far from happy about losing it.

She was currently reaching into the back and searching for the small medkit she saw there the day before. Yanking it up to the front, she opened it up and grabbed at a roll of bandages and some rubbing alcohol. Laying it beside her, she moved so she could lean over into the backseat, her backside in clear view and within reach of Negan and she was oblivious to the fact he was very openly staring at it. With an "Aha!" She leaned back and sat beside him with a clean rag in her hand from one of the bags of bathroom supplies they were slowly accumulating since they started their little scavenger mission. Dumping the alcohol on the rag, she looked back at him with a lopsided grin. "As I am sure you know... This is gonna hurt, sorry.." Before he had any time to react, she moved quickly and rested it on his wound and a loud hiss of pain left his lips. "God damn, that shit burns, woman!" She still held that grin on her face and she hurriedly cleaned his wound the best she could and began wrapping it.

Now that they seemed to be out of danger, besides the regular appearance of a walker or two, her adrenaline began to dissipate and because of this it had her noticing the muscles he had, again. Her left hand was on his right shoulder, the right on his wound, putting a little pressure on it to make sure the blood for sure stopped coming out too fast for the moment. She was halfway through wrapping it and after a few seconds, she finished her task and sat back to look at him. "That'll due until we get back tomorrow." Sitting back in the seat, she cranked the truck up before remembering he might need a shirt since it was cool outside. "Wheres your bag, I'll get you something to put on." With a gruff "In the back on the floorboard behind you." she leaned back and grabbed it and gave it to him.

Grabbing the wheel, she made her way towards one of the few "safe houses" she set up in the past so they could rest there for the night. He was shuffling through his pack, grabbing a black t shirt and another leather jacket that looked similar to the one he had to throw out and she let out a little laugh at him while he gave her a dumb look. "And what in the hell is so damn funny?" he asked as she directed her eyes fully on the road and to where they were heading. She shook her head and pointed over to the jacket and he grunted in response. It took them about half the ride it took them to get to the neighborhood and they pulled into what looked like, a run down trailer park, really? He was confused as to how this woman thought a place like this could keep them safe, what, with no fences, stable buildings or anything, it couldn't be. They drove for another minute towards the back of the park which had a flimsy chain linked fence in the back separating the forest from the property and then they reached a somewhat stable looking house with a small sign in the front that said "Ashford Acres", the office he guessed. The garage was only partially open so she jumped out and opened it before getting the truck in and shutting the garage back, making sure it was secure.

Being careful of his injured shoulder, Negan hopped from the truck as well and looked towards the woman, a scowl on his face. He very rarely ever got an injury of any sort because he always paid close attention to his surroundings but for some reason, he was not nearly as aware today as he should have been and that pissed him off. She made her way back over to the truck and pulled his pack and her own out and threw them on her shoulder and grabbed at her pistol, securing it on her hip, as well as her machete and the flash light. She was careful to look and make sure the building looked untouched and that there were no walkers around when they pulled up and thankfully,there were none. Seeing as he was standing around and waiting, his bat out and they made their way to the door. The garage was barely big enough for the truck, some boxes scattered around here and there and a thick layer of dust was all around the room. Noticing that she reached behind one box into a smaller box behind it, she pulled a key out and unlocked the door and made her way inside.

Looking around, he had to admit he was very confused as to how she thought this little building was safe, well, as safe as she made it seem. There was a small, older looking light brown desk, papers strewn all over it and on the floor around it. A few mixed matched chairs were against the wall across from the desk and near the front door. A large fake tree of some sort was sitting in front of the, he now noticed, heavily boarded up door. The small window beside it was the same and the only other thing in this room was a few dusty magazines on the floor. Standing where he came in still, he walked forward and saw a small hallway and peaked down it and it looked as if there was a small office of some sort and a restroom. At the end of the hall there was another heavily boarded up door and he turned to look back at her, an eye brow up in question. "So, this is your 'safe house'"? It was easy to tell by the sarcastic tone in his voice he was skeptical and it only made her laugh softly as she shook her head at his question.

"Ahh... Yes and no. Follow me." She walked by him and made her way into the office. It was set up as any office would be, a desk, two chairs, some pictures and documents hanging around the room and two more boarded up windows. The furniture was all older and covered in dust and he was still waiting to see what exactly she meant by her words. She walked in and to the corner in the left of the room and reached up on her tippy toes, her shirt rising up slightly to show the smooth skin of her toned stomach and if he weren't looking so hard, he would of missed to little silver and purple crescent moon belly button ring she had and he just smirked a little at the sight. Reaching for just a few seconds longer, she grabbed at a thin but sturdy rope that was tucked into the separating wall and ceiling in the far corner and tugged it and a pair of steps folded down and led up to an attic. Looking back at him, she tilted her head up the stairs and made her way up with him following behind her. Once they reached the top, she pulled the stairs back up, the room closing up and she was sure to pull the string in with her.

Hurriedly flicking her flashlight on so she could look around for candles. What little stream of light the flashlight gave, he could see that the room was very clean and organized besides the thin layer of dust that seemed to cover everything in any building or home they went into. There was a full sized mattress in the far corner close to the small window in the room, some very soft and comfortable looking blankets thrown on the bed, a few mixed matched pillows there as well. They were both able to stand at their full height, although his head was a few inches from the ceiling but it was comfortable enough. He saw her walking around and lighting various candles that were around and as light flooded the room, he was able to actually look around at everything. There was a small slightly torn blue love seat a few feet from the mattress, a small square tan side table with two drawers beside the couch and a few crates were neatly scattered around the small living space. The window was tightly taped up with a deep black blanket to prevent any light from being seen on the outside, which would be helpful come nightfall.

As he was looking around, she walked over to the couch and gently set down the packs on the floor beside it and sat down, patting the spot beside her. "Let me check your wound and put some clean bandages on it." He walked over and plopped down beside her, setting his bat down against the couch within arms reach. Sitting to his side, he looked over at the woman and spoke out. "Okay, I'll admit, this shit took me by surprise. My people have been by this place and if I remember, they all went through it all. You must of done this recently?" She smiled a little and shook her head as she reached over into the closest crate and pulled out a large, what looked to be brand new, med kit. As she spoke, she searched through the kit for the items she needed. "Nah, this place has...been here for a while actually. After the outbreak, I only came here when I had no where else to go or if I just needed to get away from whatever group I found myself a part of."

It did not get past him that with her wording, it sounded as if this little space has been here before the outbreak and he was sure to remember to ask her about it, another time, of course. Already knowing she would need his shirt off again, he reached down and pulled it halfway off to reveal his wrapped shoulder and waited, the movement not only causing pain but it opened the wound more. Seeing the blood seeping into the wraps, she tried to keep herself focused and she went to unwrapping and re cleaning his gash, a wince or two being the only noise the man made as she continued. Just like the first time, she caught herself resting her hands on his muscular arms and shoulders far longer than was needed and this didn't go unnoticed from Negan either. He chuckled internally and couldn't wait to pick on her later for it. When she finished up, she grabbed the dirty wraps from earlier and tossed them into a small trash can near the window that he failed to notice and she tied it closed, intent on bringing it with her when they left as to not leave it in the room and it develop a smell of some sort and ruin her safe houses somewhat homey feeling. All while doing this, Negan pulled his shirt back on properly and followed her with his eyes, of course still careful around the woman because he did just meet her a few days ago.

The more he looked around though, the more he got the confirmation that this place has been here for a while. There seemed to be a few pictures hanging on the walls by the bed that held various people, animals, and places, and he saw that a few of them had Laura in them as well. Acting like he didn't notice though, he turned his attention to said woman as she sat back down on the couch. "So, this is a damn fine idea. How many of these do you have around?" She was leaning back against the couch comfortably, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Hmm, 1, 2...4. I have 4 set up all within a few hours of one another, just in case. I've mostly stuck around the same areas, no reason to travel too far if I can find a group, so they are nice to have for backups and in case of any type of emergency." He nodded his head in understanding, his thoughts on the woman leaning more and more towards seeing her as an equal of some sort if she continued to prove her intelligence and ability to survive.

A few minutes went by with only the sound of their breathing and what little noise they could hear outside and the flicker of the flames of the candles she lit. Deciding to check and see how dark it was, Laura got up and made her way over to the covered window and peaked out and seeing that the sun was almost completely down, she quickly raised the blanket back up to hide the light the candles were letting off. Walking over towards one of the crates at the far end of the room, keeping her steps light, she bent down and dug into it and pulled out a large bag of jerky, some granola bars, and a two large bottles of water and made her way back over to him. Dropping the contents on the couch beside him, she told him to take his pick and went over to the side table by the mattress and began rummaging around in it. As she was looking around in it, she felt the need to tell him "I'm running a little low on canned goods, I need to restock here but I have plenty of water and other foods if you wanna go and take a look."

Shaking his head, he chuckled and then gulped down half the bottle of water she gave him. "Nahh, this is fine. Somethings better than nothing, thanks." She finally found what she was looking for and he cocked his head in confusion when he saw pulled out a tan colored, large curtain. "That's what had you rummaging around for so long? A sheet?" Glaring over at him, she said nothing and walked a few steps from the bed and reached up and then he noticed it was a curtain and not a sheet and she began running a slim, curved pole through the small holes on the fabric and attached it back to its spot on the ceiling and pulled it, showing that it created a small amount of privacy and she peaked from behind it with a smile. "Privacy, obviously. As if I would change with your roaming eyes around.." Her comment showed him that she may have notices him looking at her when he thought she didn't but her knowledge of that fact would not stop her.

He laughed out at that, the rough sound shooting tingles up her spine but she shook it off and walked from behind the curtain and sat down and nibbled at the jerky. They passed the time talking every so often, the subjects switching from her short travels, the first 2 groups she was in, and little tid bits about his Sanctuary, nothing too important. With the food and water being gone, she tossed it all into a small plastic bag and set it beside the couch in case they had anymore trash and with a yawn, she decided it was time to get some rest. Going over to her pack, she grabbed the same outfit she wore the night before but added a clean pair of panties and walked behind her make shift changing screen. She quickly dropped her hair down, it cascading down her back in soft waves and she put her night clothing on, neatly folding the clothing she wore that day to put away when she was done. Having grabbed a bottle of water when she went for her pack, she made quick work of brushing her teeth and spitting the water out into a small bowl resting on the floor beside her and walked from behind it to put her things away.

It was easy to see how comfortable she was in the space and it really made him wonder just how often she was up here, even before the outbreak. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard her speaking again and he looked up at her with a lopsided grin. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention. What was that?" She grumbled a little and repeated herself. "I said that if you wanted to go and get changed you can. I'm gonna get some sleep, you should do the same but completely up to you." He couldn't help but admire the womans natural beauty. Her long auburn colored hair spilled over her shoulders and down her back in natural waves, the leggings and tank-top clung to her tight figure and what man wouldn't be drawn to the fact she had curves in all the right places. Deciding teasing her was just too fun to pass up, he stood and went over to his pack, grabbed his clothing and anything else he needed and dropped it all on the couch. "Unlike you, I don't mind an audience." And with that, he reached down with his good arm and began to undo his pants, letting them drop to the floor to reveal his dark gray boxers. He watched her from the corner of his eyes and saw the internal battle she was having with herself and it only made him smirk as he went to remove them next. A soft gasp was heard, and she hurriedly turned from him and crawled into the bed and he swore he could make out the words perv, jackass, and ungrateful asshole from her mumbles.

On the bed and under the blankets, she was right against the wall to give him plenty of space when he decided to get into bed and she was trying to get the soft blush that was on her cheeks to go away. He decided to leave the shirt he had on because he just put it on before they got there and he had on a clean pair of boxers and his sweat pants from the night before. Hearing a soft "Please blow the candles out before you go to bed." he made his way around the room and blew all of them out except the small one on the side table so they wouldn't be in complete darkness. Crawling in bed with her, he left plenty of space in-between them and he relaxed his body in hopes he would get some sleep. The day obviously took its toll on the both of them because they were fast asleep within 20 minutes.

The night was calm and quiet in the small room as well as outside for the first few hours. Sometime in the middle of the night, possibly around 2AM, Laura awoke to the sound of a truck and some not so quite talking outside. Sitting up quickly, she noticed Negan was already at the window, the candle having been put out and he was peaking outside carefully. Moving to crawl over beside him, she peaked out from the other side of the blanket near the bottom and saw a car with two people in it and a large dark blue truck with what looked like 3 people in it and one standing outside by the drivers side. Being careful not to create any noise, she slowly unlocked the window and very carefully cracked it with the hope she would be able to hear what the strangers were saying. Negan kept an eye out on them as she bent down to listen carefully at the crack she created when she opened the window. "Derran was laid out man, whoever it was took a bat or something to his head and took his shit."

Negan being the one watching, he heard a few words but she was able to hear the full conversation from her position. The man who was standing at the drivers side window was the one who spoke and they could both hear a loud "Mother fucker!" from the one in the drivers seat. It was obvious he could care less that it was the middle of the night and walkers could be near by. Straining to hear them, she heard the one in the seat, who she assumed was the leader of the little group, speak out again. "Well fuck, that asshole should of been more careful I guess." With a slight snort, he grunted out in annoyance. "Lets head on back, not shit around here anyway. I know he said something about seeing some asshole and a hot piece of ass rummaging around the neighborhood we were gonna hit, I bet you it was them. Fuckers already got half the houses there too." Poking his head out of the window, he looked back at the car behind them and spoke out loudly. "You see their faces Mark?" A light "Yeah" was heard followed by a few details on both of their looks with some vulgar comments made Lauras way that only had her grumbling incoherent threats towards the men. Laura was so lost in her curses, she almost missed the next words that left the leaders lips. "Negan?! Oh that stupid mother fucker! Kicks us out because we fucked a few girls and hes still a pain in the ass! Lets head back to let Armond know, wonder how pissed hes gonna be." And with a few smacks of his palm on the side of the truck, he drove off, the other car following behind after the man who was outside the trucks door hopped back in.

Leaning back, she sat back on the bed with a relived sigh that they didn't decide to check the small building. Sure, they were safe up top but the truck and all of the supplies they found were in the garage. Looking up towards Negan as he fixed the blanket on the window and stood up, a thoughtful expression on his face, she waited. She knew now that some, if not all of the men out there used to live at the Sanctuary and if her guess was right, they got kicked out for rape. After a moment, he looked down at the woman and grunted out in annoyance. "Kicked those fuckers out a few months ago, raped and roughed up two of the women back at the Sanctuary pretty bad. They work for me personally now be- don't you look at me like that! I didn't mean in that way. They live up on the top level down the hall from my girls rooms. They keep the rooms clean and do some house work here and there and they get to live away from the larger population. I don't tolerate that shit, I should of bashed their skulls in when I had the chance instead of just beating their asses." As he went on, it was clear that he did not like the idea of rape or laying a hand on a woman in a violent way and she saw him in an even better light. It was a relief that he was this way, god knows the horrible things she has seen happen in other groups she came across.

Nodding her head after a few seconds, she shrugged her shoulders and tugged the blanket on the window to the side so some of the moonlight could spill into the room and she shut the window gently. Scooting back to sit in her spot, she laid back and curled up under the blankets. "There's nothing we can do about them right now. Lets get a few more hours of sleep and head back and then you can figure out what to do from there." As she spoke, he looked down at her and laughed a little as he crawled back into his spot. "Damn, Ms bossy ass. Since when do you run the show?" Laying down and making himself comfortable, he playfully tugged at the blanket she was under because she didn't answer him and she groaned out and turned to look over at him. "Never said you don't run it, you just don't run me." Glaring up at him as he stared down at her, all he could do was smirk. It was obvious by the look in his eyes and the way they roamed down her covered figure and then back up, that he was thinking something perverted. "If you say so sweetheart."

With that, she turned back around and quickly fell asleep and he followed soon after.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N : Look, I don't really want to take up too much of your time with exact details on what Negans room looks like so if you'd like to see it for yourself, google images is a big help since I am keeping the way it is in the show, maybe an extra detail or two. Lol. As always though, please read and review, enjoy!

A few hours later, Laura began to groan a little as she began to wake up, the sunlight from outside streaming in and hitting her face from where she left the blanket pulled back some. Turning over, she noticed Negan wasn't in the bed anymore and she sat up and yawned. Looking over, she saw him sitting on the couch, already dressed for the day and thumbing through a magazine he must of found in her side table. Not at all offended by the fact he went through it without permission, she stood up and made her way to her pack and then behind the makeshift changing screen. Yawning again, she spoke out, her voice filled with sleep. "Mmm, you been up long?" Grabbing the ripped black skinny jeans she wore the first day they came out, she pulled those on after removing her sleeping pants. "Nahh, about 45 minutes or something." Deciding to just leave the tank-top she was sleeping in on, she pulled a black v neck thermal similar to the one she wore the day before on and brushed her teeth and slipped her socks and boots from the day before back on. Stuffing everything into her pack, pulling her brush out, walked out and began to brush her long, slightly tangled hair. "Think I can look at your shoulder or you think its good until we get back?" He shook his head and stood up, tossing the magazine on the couch where he was sitting before. "I checked it and its good till we get back. You ready to head out?"

Looking around, she went over and laid the blankets out on the bed somewhat neatly, went over to one of the crates that held her food and she mentally counted what she had and made a note in her head to remember to restock it soon. Turning around, she smiled softly and nodded her head and tossed him the keys. "Sure thing." Having finished with her hair while she was fixing up the room, she tossed it into her pack and made her way over to the window, peaking out and looking to see if their were any walkers or people and seeing as there was just two walkers roaming around in the distance, she deemed it safe. Fixing the window and blocking it off again, she grabbed the small bags of trash and the bloodied wraps and she walked to the attic entrance and popped it open, climbing down and he went after her. Closing the door back with the stairs, she was on her toes struggling to put the rope back in its hiding place but of course was having issues reaching it. Thinking she was going to have to grab a chair as she usually had to, she sighed. Dropping down to the flats of her feet, she jumped when she felt Negans body brush against her back.

Having been watching the smaller woman struggle with the rope, he grinned and decided to use the chance to mess with her to his advantage. Stepping behind her, his larger body brushing against her smaller one, he reached up and gently tugged the rope from her grasp and leaning forward, which only caused him to tower over her form, he then put the rope back in its place and stood back and turned, making his way to the garage like nothing happened. Laura, on the other hand, had a scowl on her face and a soft blush on her cheeks. Grumbling to herself, she followed after him and after loading everything up, opening the door and pulling out, she made sure everything was locked down and in order and they made their way back to the Sanctuary. When they got about 30 minutes out from her safe house, she tossed the bags of trash out of the window and relaxed back against the seat as they continued on.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The trip took about 2 hours or so and pulling in, they were greeted by a few of Negans men hanging around the the other unloading area on the side of the large building. Stepping out of the truck and grabbing the pack with her personal items, she turned towards Negan and questioned if he needed her for anything else. "Nah, you did good and we got a lot done and the place scoped out pretty good. Go take the day to relax, Sherry will stop by tomorrow, mid morning or some shit, gonna find a place to put you. See ya around." And with that, he turned from her and she noticed his face and body posture wasn't as relaxed and he had a harder look in his eyes than he had before when they were out those two days. Guessing it was because he was back around his people, she nodded her head and made her way back towards her room up on the second level. Walking into her room, she dropped her pack by the door, shutting it behind her, and she plopped down on her stomach on the bed and relaxed for a short while.

Laying there, she was tempted to take a nap but she decided against it and sat back up and walked over to her side table that held her under clothing and grabbed a clean, soft blue laced bra and a simple black thong, happy she happened across an unopened pack of them on her trip and had slipped them into her pack. Thinking of some of the things she came across on their search through all of the homes, she was upset she was unable to keep a few things she found that caught her attention, especially a large bottle of her favorite vodka. Sighing, she walked to her clothing rack and decided on a pair of tight dark gray skinny jeans and a white and black striped v neck shirt. Making her way to her bathroom with her items, she shut the door and began the process of heating and filling her tub and proceeded to wash her body and hair and spent at least a good 30 minutes just laying in it and soaking.

Deciding the amount of time she spent in the tub was enough, she got out, drying her hair and then she wrapped the towel around herself. Reaching the mirror, she pulled the small brush she had and brushed out her long hair. Going with leaving it down, she walked over to where she left her clothing by the door and dropped her towel, pulling on her thong and bra. Looking down at herself, she let out an annoyed sigh. Her curves were still there but they just weren't what they used to be because of her weight loss. Be it, she was only down about 10-15 pounds than normal, but it was enough for her to notice. Shaking her head, she put on the rest of her clothing, the clothing hugging her figure perfectly and she knew she might need a size up once she gained the weight back. Cleaning up the mess she made and draining the water, she figured she would look out to see if she could guess the time and if it wasn't too late, she thought she would roam around and see what she could find or if she could find anything to do to pass the time.

Walking from her bathroom, she dug through her pack and grabbed the pocket knife she brought with her on her trip and she clipped it to her pants and pulled her shirt over it. She walked to her small side table and got out a pair of socks and sat down putting those on with her worn black combat boots. After deciding everything was in order, she walked from her room, locked the door, and made her way down to the first level where she knew most of the other people resided.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Brushing her unruly blonde hair out, it being slight frizzy from so much time of being unable to properly care for it, or maybe she really just didn't feel like bothering with it, Sherry let out an annoyed groan and stood up from her bed and walked back and forth for a few minutes, happy her injury was already feeling a lot better. She figured she might as well go and check and see how the trip went since she heard Negan and Laura got back a short while ago so she slipped on a pair of black tennis shoes, which went well with her tight flared ale blue jeans and gray t shirt which of course was being stretched by her overly large bust. Forgoing any weapons, because everyone knew not to bother her, she made her way from her room and walked slowly towards Negans rooms.

Knowing from past experiences that he liked to enjoy the 'company' of one, or more, of his wives after a trip, she hoped almost 3 hours of being back gave him enough time to have his fun. Thinking of that only led her thoughts to wonder to the new girl, Laura. She found the woman attractive, very much so, actually. She also knew she wasn't the only one. Planning on waiting to see how and where things go, she ended her thoughts on the subject and knocked on the door a few times. Waiting for a moment

or two, the door opened to reveal Negan in an unbuttoned pair of black jeans, his red boxers visible, and no shirt. She took notice of the freshly wrapped wound and nodded her head towards him. "Run into some trouble out there?" A bored look was on his face, he nudged his head for her to come inside and stepped back and walked over toward a comfortable looking black leather couch that had a gray t shirt thrown on it. She followed after him, shutting the door behind herself and she sat herself down in one of the two modern but comfortable looking striped square chairs across from the chair.

The room was large, not too much more than her own but of course being the leader, he did have first dibs on anything so he picked one of the biggest rooms for himself, as well as another room a few feet from this one that was used as a sort of get together room for he and his wives. There was the couch, a nice short table in front of it with the two chairs on the other side of it. There was a large rug underneath their feet and since the black curtains were pulled back neatly, it allowed plenty of light to flood into the room. She sat there, leaning back to make herself comfortable as she stared at the man across from her with curious eyes, obviously waiting on an answer.

"Some asshole got me when I wasn't paying attention, slashed my shoulder good. We found a lot of good shit though, gonna send a bigger group out. I need you to pick out what teams you think would be best. The guy, had to bash his damn face in, belongs to some group that are pretty pissed that he's dead." A thoughtful expression came to his face and it was easy for her to see something was on his mind and if it had to do with another group and it caused him to get such a thoughtful reaction it was always a bad thing and meant there could be fighting in the near future. "You aren't going to believe who his friends were...With what I could see, it was Jack and Micheal." Seeing her eyes widen, it was obvious she remembered the names. "Yeah, you should of heard the shit they were saying about Laura! Boyyy, I thought she was going to jump through the window and beat the shit outta them." Chuckling a little, he became a little less serious. "You and I both know all they are going to cause is trouble so the ones that get sent out need to have plenty of experience, send Sarah for a good sniper, shes got good eyes when it comes to sneaky shit. Iven too, his big ass would come in real helpful. You pick the rest out, but be smart. There's a possibility that other group will be there waiting or coming soon. If your injury is better, I want them to head out tomorrow morning and I want you with them. Should be a 2 day trip. Gonna need to bring the moving truck, pick up some more furniture with whatever else you can find. Pick up the list from Jasmine on what the hell else we need."

Listening to him, she nodded her head and began thinking of the best people to send out. "So, besides that... How was Laura, you think she will do well fighting or down on the lower level doing something else?" Smiling a little he rubbed his freshly trimmed chin and a thoughtful expression came to his face again but for a whole other reason. "She is a damn good fighter, smart, and she really knows what the fuck she's doin." Sherry, happy hearing she did well, smiled softly and nodded her head. "Well that is good. I was wondering if she could tag along on runs with me eventually since she handles herself so well. It would be better than Johnny..." Laughing lightly because he knew how boring it could get with him, he answered her question. "Yeah, I guess so. I think you both would make a good team. Just be sure of something, yeah?"

Tilting her head, she looked at him with a curious gaze and waited to hear what he had to say. Sitting up and leaning forward, a serious look on his face, he spoke out "If ya get in her pants, be sure to remember your duties. Also, of course, better tell me how good of a lay she is." Laughing out loudly at the blush on the woman's cheeks and the annoyed grunt she let out, and he shook his head. "Fuck you, Negan." He laughed out at her attitude and a feminine groan coming from the mess of blankets on his bed caught her attention. Turning to look to the side where his bed was on, she rolled her eyes at the blonde hair she saw peaking out from the blankets and turned back to look at him with a blank stare and turn of her lips which showed exactly how much she disliked the body currently in his bed. It was obvious she was probably naked underneath because even she knew Negan only allowed this woman in his room for one thing, even he couldn't stand her most of the time. Standing up, she made her way out of his room, shutting the door behind her, and then she went down to the first level and went looking for Jasmine to get the list from her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Having been down on the lower level for just a few hours, it seemed as if Laura already met a few friendly faces. She was currently sitting down in one of the rooms down the small hallway closest to the stairs she noticed before and was with a group of 15 children, their ages ranging from 7-14 she discovered. There was two other women in the room, one sitting at a small but sturdy light tan colored desk you would normally see in a classroom and it was in the corner of the room by one of the two large windows in the room, which had its light green curtains pulled back to allow the light in which also kept the electricity being used in the room low since no lights needed to be on. The woman sitting at the desk who reached about 5'8, had a thin build and incredibly long dark brown hair which was in a tight braid down her back. She had soft green eyes that scanned over what she had down in front of her and they held a warmth only a true mother could hold. She looked to be in her early 40's but she was in fact 52, which Laura learned about an hour or so ago. The woman who Laura earlier learned was named Lynn had on a long sleeved button up white shirt with a tan tank top under it and matching loose but comfortable tan pants on her legs and a simple pair of black slip on shoes on her feet. She was currently looking over some paperwork that was strewn across the desk that the children were working on just a few moments ago. Being in such a large and well ran group, they were thankfully allowed to continue with the children's education, at least the basics and then it led into self defense classes for all of the children, even the youngest ones, which was why the other woman who was currently leaning back against the far wall by the door was there.

Said woman had a little longer than shoulder length layered black hair with streaks of natural silver running through it and it was all held up in a tight bun. She had light brown eyes and tanned skin and when Laura spoke with her when they came across one another out near the front of the lower level a few hours earlier, she learned the other woman's name was Rosa and she originated from Mexico and happened to move to the US a few years before the out break occurred. She had on a comfortable pair of black cargo pants and a loose white t shirt that hid the slight bulge of her occupied stomach from view and a pair of white tennis shoes. A pistol was on her hip and it was easy to see she was lost in thought at the moment with the distant look in her eyes. Her build was similar to the older woman's but she was only 27 years old and reached to be 5'5 instead. Her bust was a size smaller than hers which would of course change with the baby growing in her stomach and she was thin but healthy.

If you were to walk into the room, the floor being a sort of smooth concrete, you would see a few fold out tables and cushioned fold out chairs in three small rows in the back on the room in the corner with the back wall and wall that had the door on it. This area was obviously set up to be used for the children like desks would be and there was a few clear drawer sets back against the wall that had papers, markers, crayons, and all sorts of other art supplies. In the front of the room there a few black and clear containers with all sorts of books and supplies for children of all ages as well as three baby blue love seats, a large fluffy gray rug rolled out under them and a few low round dark cherry wood tables scattered around the area and Laura learned when she was brought to the room that the front was used as a more comfortable learning area. Towards the same wall with Lynn's desk there was a few more crates and another small set of clear drawers a dew steps from her and they were filled with more classroom supplies. It honestly surprised Laura just how much learning supplies was in the room to begin with and it only made her feel even more comfortable being at the Sanctuary because it was easy to see that Negan had no issue with keeping the children educated and safe, and she couldn't say the same for other groups she has come across, even the ones that had the ability to create something similar.

Laura was currently on a dark, faded orange couch, a small 8 year old girl with curly bright blonde shoulder length hair and bright blue eyes bouncing in her lap happily as she faced towards the others. She had on a dark purple shirt with some cartoon character or other on it and a pair of jeans, her feet currently bare. A smile was plastered on Laura's face as she held the hyper child and she was looking over at the rest of the children who were all sitting or laying comfortably on another matching colored couch, love seat, and a few mixed matched plush chairs. The children were all talking among one another about this is that while she and the small child in her lap named Alex talked.

"So, you've been here for about a year, right?" The girl turned herself to look at the woman and nodded her head. "Uh huh, it was just me and momma, we kept having to move around a lot and couldn't find anywhere safe for a long time. But then some nice people came by and let us come here! Now I have lots of new friends and can play again!" With a slight nod and a little chuckle, Laura listened to the girl now go into detail on the friends she made and more about her mother, family, and so on. It was close to another 30 minutes before the other woman by the door walked over and clapped her hands and spoke out with a stern voice that held a thick accent. "Alright! We need to start working on what we learned yesterday about pocket knives, so back to the tables." Rosa looked over towards the new woman on the couch and smiled a little at the connection she saw forming with her and the other children. "I'm sure Ms. Laura will be by again so lets go so we can get finished quickly."

A few groans could be heard but the children began to move and make their way over to the tables, Laura standing and walking Alex by the hand over to a seat and she pat her head affectionately. "I'll try to come by again tomorrow, I promise." The girl nodded her head with a pout but didn't argue, as did some of the other children and she walked towards the desk, Lynn now finishing up with putting the papers in a neat stack and she stood, smiling at Laura, her voice soft and pleasant. "You really have a way with children, I hope you will be by more often?" With a nod of her head, Laura laughed at the loud "Of course she will!" coming from Alex as she giggled behind her hands. "Yes, whenever I can, I'm more than happy to come by and help with the kids." Having already gotten the details on times the class got together, she kept that in mind and waved while she made her way out of the room, gently shutting the door behind her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N: Yes, this was a bit of a filler chapter but I would like the relationships that develop with a few of the people and groups within the Sanctuary to be introduced, so don't hate me.


End file.
